Walking aids, such as canes and crutches, for example, are widely used to assist people that may have difficulty walking due to various physical ailments. Many walking aids include an elongate shaft, a handle, and a rubber tip base, such as the base disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,626 to Urban. The rubber tip base may provide grip as the user engages the base of the walking aid to a compact and substantially smooth surface, such as asphalt or concrete, for example.
Walking aids having rubber tip bases, however, or any other type of base having smaller diameters, i.e., diameters that are substantially similar to that of the elongate shaft, are not advantageous when used on a surface of loose material, such as sand, for example. U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,771 to Wilkinson, discloses a walking aid having an elongate base and a plurality of spaced apart ridges extending longitudinally the length of the base, i.e., extending the direction of use when the walking aid is in motion. The front wall and rear wall of the elongate base are curved upwardly. Such a base, however, may not be sufficient to provide grip when being used on a surface having loose material, such as sand, for example.
Many walking aids also provide an elongate shaft having an adjustable length, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,704 to Brown. Brown discloses a walking aid having a first elongate shaft, and a second elongate shaft that slidably engages the first elongate shaft. More specifically, a plurality of pairs of passageways may be aligned and fastened together so that the overall length of the elongate shaft may be adjusted depending on a user's height.